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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Peer Learning- We're better together

One of the first things I learned when I started teaching English was the importance of pair work. This guest post makes some suggestion on when to embrace learners working together, and why it is best to not rely on it constantly.

Helping someone is a way to cement your own knowledge

Have you ever witnessed one student leaning over to lend
some help another student better understand a problem or dilemma?

If so, you
have likely seen peer learning. When students get together to help one another
learn a difficult subject or think critically about a problem, they take their
education to a deeper level opening their minds to a new thought process. This
new level of learning can help peers open up their minds and encourage them to
work well with other students, regardless of which side of the learning curve
they are on.

Yet there are some struggles that come along with peer to
peer learning that can make this typically highly effective way of learning a
challenge. The following are some of the do’s and don’ts for teachers to help
encourage peer learning in the right way.

The Do’s of Peer
Learning

Learning to work together is a lifelong skill!

Do encourage teamwork – Teamwork is something that people
experience throughout their lives. In some cases they will be the leader
in the group, or in the case of peer learning the person doing the teaching.
In other cases, they will be the person sitting back taking instruction,
or the student. In either case, knowing how to work well with one another
is a crucial. When you allow peer learning in the classroom you not only
help students learn the material but you set them up for an important
inherent life lesson that they will need in a variety of situations.

Do allow students to work together on problems – Sometimes
there will not be a clear leader in a peer learning. When students come
together in peer groups to brainstorm solutions to problems, they can work
together equally to come up with the best solution. This teamwork is
another common occurrence in daily life even after students are finished
with their schooling.

Do let peers assess each other’s achievements – Another form
of peer learning is to grade each other’s work. This is beneficial because
it allows students to see and learn from the mistakes other students made
as well as how they were able to solve certain problems. By doing this,
they learn what their peers are doing and can find new ways to conquer
challenges that they may not have learned about before. When they learn
from like-minded individuals on how they solve problems, then they are
able to use these skills in other situations to advance their education
even further.

The Don’ts of Peer
Learning

Working together is great, but the teacher should still be a part of the class

Don’t allow bullying – In some cases peer learning can lead to
one person bullying another. This typically happens when one student is
struggling with a particular subject and is being tutored by a peer who is
better able to grasp it. When one student becomes frustrated with the
other, they can begin to bully the student which can have adverse effects.
As a teacher, it is important to watch for these signs and stop the peer
learning before it gets worse.

Don’t rely solely on peer learning – Teachers sometimes rely
too heavily on peer learning and step back from their role as
administrator of the classroom. This can also have adverse effects because
students will not receive knowledge from the teacher that they need to get
the most out of their education. A good balance is imperative with peer
learning and classroom learning with a teacher.

As a teacher, finding a way to incorporate peer learning
into the classroom is a good way to mix up the curriculum and teaching methods
so students can work together more and enjoy their classroom time. To do this
most effectively it is important to balance between lectures and one-on-one
lessons with a teacher and work in peer groups.

This guest post was written by Aileen Pablo who actively blogs about education. She uses research from: davecormier.com